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io9Explosion hits quake-damaged Japanese nuclear plant (UPDATED)
An explosion has wracked the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant in Japan. Nuclear officials have detected radioactive cesium and iodine at the site and fear that the uranium fuel rods have begun melting. Notes the BBC: Air and steam, with some level of radioactivity, has been released from several of the reactors at both plants … Continued
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Tech NewsNuke Experts: Japan May Have Only Hours Before Meltdown
Worse news from the Fukushima plant—the facility has experienced a “station blackout,” meaning all cooling mechanisms have halted. This is “one of the most serious conditions that can affect a nuclear plant,” says the Union of Concerned Scientists. And if cooling dies completely? A meltdown shortly thereafter. Japanese nuclear experts are scrambling to maintain the … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
Tech News
Japanese Nuke Officials: 1000x Normal Radiation Levels Inside Damaged Plant (Updated: Leaking Out)
There’s literally no such thing as a completely safe exposure to radiation. So official reports of 1000 times normal levels in the Fukushima plant’s control room are very, very troubling—especially since this plant’s venting air. Update: The NYT is reporting that “some radiation—it was not clear how much—[has] seeped outside the plant.” [via VOA]
By Sam Biddle -
Tech News
Wounded Japanese Nuke Plant Venting (Possibly) Radioactive Air
This sounds bad. The quake-damaged Fukushima nuke facility will vent its air containment vessels, as pressure levels have risen dangerously. The air may contain harmful radioactive material, though an official evacuation notice has already been declared by officials. [NHK]
By Sam Biddle